I love the quote by Rumi- “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears”. It is a great representation of how my life has unfolded into starting the Trauma Informed Martial Arts program.

I first started in martial arts as a teenager. Never in a million years did I think I would be an instructor one day much less develop my own program. At that time, I also didn’t have intentions on becoming a therapist. However, life unfolds and for me that meant discovering a field of study I love which I turned into my career as a psychotherapist. By this time I was on a hiatus from martial arts.

As a psychotherapist I specialized in dual diagnosis and right out of grad school I worked in forensic behavioral treatment. This included having to provide trauma treatment. It was never my intention to specialize in trauma treatment, but the path appeared.

At that point in my life I was married and we had two daughters. We decided to enroll them in a karate school which led me back to my own martial arts path. My psychotherapy and martial arts paths ran parallel for many years. Eventually I earned a blackbelt and then one day my instructor looked at me and told me I could be a Grand Champion. My response was- Who me? This encouraged me to set my sights towards competition and becoming an instructor in the Maududo Federation.

I went onto be a 5-time Grand Champion, the 2022 Ultimate Grand Champion and to compete in Regional and National World Karate and Kick Boxing Commission tournaments. This all truly helped build my confidence as a martial artist, and it also took me out of my comfort zone and into growth as a martial artist.

Eventually, my psychotherapy and martial arts paths began to cross, and as I reflected on my own journey, I realized how I tamed challenges by grounding in martial arts. I then began thinking about how to merge my two passions into helping others- not just in martial arts, but to recover and manage trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, etc… I proposed my idea to Mike Franzen, Founder of Maududo and Martial Arts America, and with his encouragement, along with that of Julia Woods, a Maududo School Owner, I began designing the program. Then the way appeared, but this time in the form of the Trauma Informed Martial Arts (TIMA) program.

TIMA is a 6-week self-defense class that meets for one hour weekly. I have blended lessons from martial arts with recovery information in a trauma-informed manner to help our students. I should note here that this is not a trauma discussion type of group. Students are never expected to talk about their personal information. It is an active martial arts class provided in a way that encourages safety and reconnection to the body; things that are important when one has experienced trauma.

For example, every TIMA class has a theme. One theme is Redirection. Redirection is utilized in martial arts to block or avoid attacks. In recovery from trauma, we often need to redirect our thoughts, our goals, our relationships, etc… Some redirections are small and others are big. It depends on the obstacle. Students are encouraged to take these lessons forward into their lives for the week.

While TIMA does not substitute for treatment, it has been designed to compliment treatment and to help individuals achieve the defined overall goals of TIMA: Finding Your POWER and Your VOICE!